NAPERVILLE, Ill. – North Central was predicted to win its third-straight College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) wrestling title based upon the results of the conference’s annual coaches’ poll announced Thursday.
The poll predicted how each team would finish at the 2020 CCIW Wrestling Championship held Thursday, February 13 at Millikin University.
The Cardinals won the poll with 48 points and six first place votes and enter the 2019-20 season as the two-time defending champion under head coach Joe Norton. North Central has won eight conference titles in program history dating back to its first in 1962.
Millikin placed second with 44 points and two first place votes as the Big Blue return one of two all-Americans from last year in junior
Bradan Birt, who finished sixth at 157 pounds during the 2019 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship.
Elmhurst finished third with 35 points as the Bluejays are a seven-time champion under head coach Steve Marianetti including their last title in 2017.
Wheaton was fourth with 33 points. The Thunder are a six-time champion including a title in 2015 under head coach Jim Gruenwald.
Augustana was fifth with 21 points as the Vikings return all-American senior
Adarios Jones, who finished second at 285 pounds during the 2019 NCAA Championship. Augustana leads the CCIW with 37 conference titles dating back to its first in 1963.
Concordia-Wisconsin (18 points), Milwaukee School of Engineering (18 points) and Lakeland (7 points) rounded out the poll. All three programs joined the CCIW as associate members for wrestling in 2017.
Voting for the 2020 CCIW Wrestling Championship Coaches’ Poll is done by the conference’s eight head wrestling coaches. Each coach votes for the seven other schools in the conference in order of predicted finish. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (seven points for first, six for second, etc.). Coaches do not vote for their own teams.
Following the 2020 CCIW Championship on February 13, conference teams will participate in their respective regionals on Saturday, February 29. The NCAA Division III Championship will take place March 13-14 at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
NWCA Rankings: Five CCIW student-athletes were ranked in the first
National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III Individual Rankings on October 29.
2020 CCIW Wrestling Championship Coaches' Poll
| Rank |
Institution |
Points (1st Pl. Votes) |
| 1 |
North Central |
48 (6) |
| 2 |
Millikin |
44 (2) |
| 3 |
Elmhurst |
35 |
| 4 |
Wheaton |
33 |
| 5 |
Augustana |
21 |
| 6 |
Concordia-Wisconsin |
18 |
| 6 |
MSOE |
18 |
| 8 |
Lakeland |
7 |
2019 CCIW Wrestling Championship Standings
| Place |
Institution |
Score |
| 1 |
North Central |
133.5 |
| 2 |
Millikin |
132 |
| 3 |
Elmhurst |
90 |
| 4 |
Wheaton |
79.5 |
| 5 |
Concordia-Wisconsin |
58.5 |
| 6 |
Milwaukee School of Engineering |
54.5 |
| 7 |
Augustana |
53 |
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, IL), Carroll University (Waukesha, WI), Carthage College (Kenosha, WI), Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, IL), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, IL), Millikin University (Decatur, IL), North Central College (Naperville, IL), North Park University (Chicago, IL) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL). During the 2018-19 academic year, the CCIW honored over 2,200 academic all-conference recipients, 18 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, 43 CoSIDA Academic All-District recipients, and over 100 all-Americans.